It’s not uncommon for me to receive calls from prospective clients asking for a costing for a particular type of video. I always like ask a few questions about what they are trying to achieve to check if this is really what they want.
Today I had a caller who wanted the four partners of a firm filmed. They saw someone else had done this and they liked the way it flowed. Each would have a short (1 minute) video giving a bit of an insight into the personalities and motivations of people leading the firm.
I call these rapport-building videos. It’s a great way to build trust and make people feel comfortable with you before they meet you. Some of my clients who have used this approach have reported great success from visitors to the website. These visitors then go on to be customers because they liked the video and felt comfortable.
However, as I enquired I discovered that the motivation for these videos was for customer retention. They had enough customers and didn’t really need many more. They did, however, want to make sure the customers they did have stayed with them. It’s a solid business strategy and certainly one every business should be doing.
They knew they should be using videos and figured this was a good place to start.
The thing is, the rapport building videos are great for people who have never met you. It breaks the ice, it makes people feel like they know you, what’s important to you, what you love about your business and the problems you solve for your customers.
But your existing customers already have a good idea about that. They are already converted and on your side.
So what I suggested to my caller was that we film the four partners of the firm and conduct about a dozen interviews with them.
The interviews would be about common problems their customers have; frequent issues that crop up; regular mistakes they see their customers making; tips for solving problems cheaper, faster easier.
The interviews should be packed full of useful, helpful, valuable information. Ideally, their customers should look forward to receiving such videos because they will be of value to them.
If we were to film twelve (or more) videos on a day we will have a year’s worth of content ready to be distributed on a monthly basis. The customers will feel like they are being valued and helped. If the quality of the information is useful then it is likely to be shared by their customers to others who will become advocates and possibly new customers.
These types of videos will position the firm as a leader in its field because it is generously helping and engaging with their customers.
While it’s tempting to be attracted to a particular style of video, it is worth understanding what you are trying to achieve and if that type of video is really what you want.
